Trump’s deep-sea mining push to bypass UN International Seabed Authority

Washington DC, 25 April 2025

• President Trump’s executive order accelerates U.S. deep-sea mining, targeting critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements.

• The move bypasses the UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA), challenging international norms.

• Critics raise environmental concerns and question the legality of unilateral seabed exploitation.​

On April 24, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at expediting the exploration and extraction of critical minerals from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and international waters. The order seeks to reduce dependence on foreign sources, particularly China, for minerals essential to defense, energy, and technology sectors. 

Key Provisions:

• Streamlined Permitting: The Department of Commerce, through NOAA, is directed to expedite the review and issuance of exploration and commercial recovery permits under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act. ​

• Seabed Mapping: Agencies are tasked with identifying and mapping priority seabed areas to assess mineral potential.​

• International Partnerships: The order encourages collaboration with allies for seabed mineral development within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).​

• Defense Stockpile: The Departments of Defense and Energy are to evaluate the inclusion of seabed-derived minerals in the National Defense Stockpile.

Strategic Context

The U.S. move comes amid growing concerns over China’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains. By asserting rights to mine in international waters, the U.S. challenges the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has yet to finalize regulations for commercial deep-sea mining.

Industry Impact, Environmental and Legal Concerns

Companies like The Metals Company have seen stock surges following the announcement, anticipating new opportunities in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a Pacific region rich in polymetallic nodules. Environmental groups warn of potential irreversible damage to deep-sea ecosystems. Legal experts question the U.S.’s unilateral approach, noting that the country has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under which the ISA operates

President Trump’s executive order marks a significant shift in U.S. resource policy, prioritizing national security and economic interests over multilateral agreements and environmental caution. The long-term implications for international law, environmental protection, and global mineral markets remain to be seen.

E-Summary by ChatGPT, prompted and edited by Insight EU

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Background

The United States has a core national security and economic interest in maintaining leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources.  The United States faces unprecedented economic and national security challenges in securing reliable supplies of critical minerals independent of foreign adversary control.  Vast offshore seabed areas hold critical minerals and energy resources.  These resources are key to strengthening our economy, securing our energy future, and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers for critical minerals.  The United States also controls seabed mineral resources in one of the largest ocean areas of the world.  Our Nation can, through the exercise of existing authorities and by establishing international partnerships, access potentially vast resources in seabed polymetallic nodules; other subsea geologic structures; and coastal deposits containing strategic minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, titanium, and rare earth elements, which are vital to our national security and economic prosperity.
Our Nation must take immediate action to accelerate the responsible development of seabed mineral resources, quantify the Nation’s endowment of seabed minerals, reinvigorate American leadership in associated extraction and processing technologies, and ensure secure supply chains for our defense, infrastructure, and energy sectors.

Sec. 2.  Policy.

It is the policy of the United States to advance United States leadership in seabed mineral development by:

(a)  rapidly developing domestic capabilities for the exploration, characterization, collection, and processing of seabed mineral resources through streamlined permitting without compromising environmental and transparency standards;

(b)  supporting investment in deep sea science, mapping, and technology;

(c)  enhancing coordination among executive departments and agencies (agencies) with respect to seabed mineral development activities described in this order;

(d)  establishing the United States as a global leader in responsible seabed mineral exploration, development technologies, and practices, and as a partner for countries developing seabed mineral resources in areas within their national jurisdictions, including their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ);

(e)  creating a robust domestic supply chain for critical minerals derived from seabed resources to support economic growth, reindustrialization, and military preparedness, including through new processing capabilities; and

(f)  strengthening partnerships with allies and industry to counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources and to ensure United States companies are well-positioned to support allies and partners interested in developing seabed minerals responsibly in areas within their national jurisdictions, including their EEZs.

Sec. 3.  Strategic Seabed Critical Mineral Access.  

Within 60 days of the date of this order:

(a)  The Secretary of Commerce shall:

(i)    acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (30 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.), consistent with applicable law.  The expedited process, consistent with applicable law, should ensure efficiency, predictability, and competitiveness for American companies;

(ii)   in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy, and in consultation with the heads of other relevant agencies, provide a report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, and the Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council that identifies:

(A)  private sector interest and opportunities for seabed mineral resource exploration, mining, and environmental monitoring in the United States Outer Continental Shelf; in areas beyond national jurisdiction; and in areas within the national jurisdictions of certain other nations that express interest in partnering with United States companies on seabed mineral development; and

(B)  private sector interest and opportunities for polymetallic nodule and other seabed mineral resource processing capacity in the United States or on United States-flagged vessels; and

(iii)  in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Interior, and the heads of other relevant agencies, and in cooperation with commercial and other non-governmental organizations, develop a plan to map priority areas of the seabed, such as those with abundant or accessible undersea resources, in order to accelerate data collection and characterization, prioritizing areas within the United States Outer Continental Shelf.

(b)  The Secretary of the Interior shall:

(i)   establish an expedited process for reviewing and approving permits for prospecting and granting leases for exploration, development, and production of seabed mineral resources within the United States Outer Continental Shelf under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), consistent with applicable law.  The expedited process, consistent with applicable law, should ensure efficiency, predictability, and competitiveness for American companies; and

(ii)  identify which critical minerals may be derived from seabed resources and coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy to indicate which critical minerals are essential for applications such as defense infrastructure, manufacturing, and energy.

(c)  The Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Energy, shall:

(i)   engage with key partners and allies to offer support for seabed mineral resource exploration, extraction, processing, and environmental monitoring in areas within the national jurisdictions of those partners and allies, including by seeking scientific collaboration and commercial development opportunities for United States companies, and by developing a prioritized list of countries for engagement; and

(ii)  provide a joint report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, and the Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council on the feasibility of an international benefit-sharing mechanism for seabed mineral resource extraction and development that occurs in areas beyond the national jurisdiction of any country.

(d)  The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy shall:

(i)    provide a report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, and the Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council that addresses the feasibility and any potential benefits or drawbacks of using the National Defense Stockpile for physical or virtual storage of materials derived from seabed polymetallic nodules and of entering offtake agreements for these materials;

(ii)   in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, review and revise existing regulations, consistent with applicable law, to support domestic processing capabilities for seabed mineral resources, and explore the use of grant and loan authorities, the Defense Production Act (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.), and other procurement and financing authorities for this purpose; and

(iii)  ensure the Strategic and Critical Materials Board of Directors considers seabed mineral resource developments when recommending a strategy for ensuring a secure supply of materials designated as critical to national security to the Secretary of Defense under the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98 et seq.).

(e)  The Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Director of the Trade and Development Agency, and the heads of other relevant agencies shall provide a joint report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, and the Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council that identifies tools to support domestic and international seabed mineral resource exploration, extraction, processing, and environmental monitoring.

Sec. 4.  Definitions.  

As used in this order:

(a)  The term “mineral” means a critical mineral as designated pursuant to 30 U.S.C. 1606(a)(3), as well as uranium, copper, potash, gold, and any other element or compound as determined by the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council.

(b)  The term “seabed mineral resources” means polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts, polymetallic sulfides, heavy mineral sands, phosphorites, and other mineral-bearing materials.

(c)  The term “processing” includes the concentration, separation, refinement, alloying, and conversion of minerals into usable forms.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.

(a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

April 24, 2025

Source – U.S. White House

REVITALIZING AMERICAN DOMINANCE IN DEEP SEABED MINERALS:

Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a historic Executive Order to restore American dominance in offshore critical minerals and resources.

• The Order rapidly develops domestic capabilities for exploration, characterization, collection, and processing of critical deep seabed minerals.
  • It establishes the U.S. as a global leader in seabed mineral exploration and development both within and beyond national jurisdiction.
  • It creates a robust domestic supply for critical minerals derived from seabed resources.
  • It strengthens partnerships with allies and industry to counter China’s influence in the seabed mineral resource space.
• The Order instructs the Secretary of Commerce to expedite the process for reviewing and issuing exploration and commercial recovery permits under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act.
• The Order directs the Secretary of Commerce, along with the Secretary of Interior and Secretary of Energy, to provide a report identifying:
  • Private sector interest and opportunities for seabed mineral exploration, mining, and monitoring in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
  • Private sector interest and opportunities for nodule and other seabed mineral resource processing capacity in the U.S. or on U.S. flagged vessels.
• The Order directs the Secretaries of Commerce, State, and Interior to develop a plan to map priority areas of the seabed to accelerate data collection.
• The Order directs the Secretary of Interior to establish a process for reviewing and approving permits and granting licenses within the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and identify which critical minerals may be derived from seabed resources for defense, infrastructure, and energy purposes in coordination with the Secretaries of Energy and Defense.
•  The Order directs the Secretaries of Commerce, State, Interior, and Energy to engage with partners and allies for seabed mineral exploration and provide a joint report for the feasibility of an international seabed benefit-sharing mechanism.
• The Order directs the Secretaries of Defense and Energy to provide a report addressing feasibility of using National Defense Stockpile for nodule-derived minerals; review and revise domestic processing capability for seabed mineral resources and DPA authorities; and have the Strategic and Critical Minerals Board develop a strategy.
• The Order directs the CEO of U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, President of Export-Import Bank of the U.S., and Director of U.S. Trade and Development Agency to provide a report identifying tools to support domestic and international seabed mineral resource exploration, extraction, processing, and environmental monitoring.

POSITIONING AMERICA AS A GLOBAL LEADER IN CRITICAL MINERALS:

President Trump’s visionary leadership is positioning the United States at the forefront of critical mineral production and innovation.

• President Trump recently signed an Executive Order to increase American critical mineral production.
• President Trump also signed an Executive Order to open a Section 232 investigation to evaluate the impact of imports of these materials on America’s security and resilience.
• President Trump advanced the Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road through the Brooks Range foothills that enables commercial mining for copper, zinc and other materials in a remote Arctic area in Northwest Alaska.
• With this Executive Order, President Trump is accelerating seabed mineral exploration and development to unlock vast offshore resources for America’s economic and strategic advantage.

Source – U.S. White House

International document by International Seabed Authority

• Status of exploration activities in the Area – December 2024: EN
• Status of exploration activities in the Area – July 2024: EN
• Status of exploration activities in the Area – Feb 2024: EN
• The Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative – 2023: EN
• DeepData Brochure: EN
• The Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative: EN
• The International Seabed Authority: EN
• Seabed Technology: CN – EN – RU